The Secret Couple
by OneTruePotterhead62442
Summary: Ginny breaks up with Harry to be with someone her parents wouldn't approve of her being with.


Ginny sat quietly across the table, playing with her food. She was anxious to leave. Harry was taking her to see a movie in one of the Muggle theatres nearby. I was jealous of him - Ginny was beautiful, sweet, possibly the best girlfriend a guy could ask for. But, of course, I can't date her because she's my _sister._ Sometimes, I really wish she wasn't.

Ginny stood up abruptly and walked upstairs, leaving her barely-touched lamb stew on the table. At the same moment her bedroom door closed, the back door opened. Mum walked in, looking slightly annoyed and muttering something about gnomes. 'Well, now I know what I'm doing while Ginny was gone,' I thought scornfully. She looked at Ginny's empty seat and stomped upstairs. A few exchanged whispers later, both of them came back downstairs, Ginny wearing a mini jean skirt with black fish-net stockings and quickly shrugging on a too-big shirt. For a second, I thought I'd glimpsed a bit of her bra. I felt the blush rising in my cheeks and looked down quickly at my food.

Ginny walked to the table and, obviously noticing my reaction, whispered and apology and started playing with her food again, occasionally bringing the fork to her mouth.

I looked up. "Why should you be sorry?"

She looked at me, studying my expression and keeping hers blank. "Because...," she started, but stopped at the knock on the door. She darted upstairs again, yelling, "Mum, Harry's here!" I pushed away from the table slowly and put my bowl in the sink, leaving Ginny's where it was. Maybe Harry could eat it. I trotted upstairs and passed by Ginny's room on the way to mine. The door was a crack open, and I saw her standing there, looking in the mirror and holding up different shirts against her torso. She had ditched the skirt, but left the stockings on. I blushed and walked briskly the rest of the way to my room before she caught me watching her.

I locked the door and slumped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'Why did she have to be my sister?' I thought sadly. If only she wasn't, as well as not dating Harry. I'd be all over her from the moment I met her, if she'd still be as beautiful as she was now.

I could pick out little words of Harry and Mum's conversation downstairs. "Love... Ginny... Want... Me...," was all I heard of what Harry had said. I wondered exactly what he was saying. "Oh?" Mum said, "Well, I don't don't see what's wrong with that." Her voice was usually loud enough for me to here from my room, and it was evident Harry was trying to keep his voice low. I snuck out of my room and sat at the top of the stairs to hear better.

"Yeah," Harry was saying, "I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you and Arthur before I asked her." I looked down and Harry was clutching something in his hand behind his back. "Of course it'd be alright, Harry! I bet she'd say yes. I mean there's no reason she'd say otherwise, unless of course she had someone else in her heart." Harry made a face. "Oh! But of course she wouldn't!" Mum added quickly. "You're a swell boy, Harry, there's no one she'd have on her mind but you."

As I went back to my room, mind racing with ideas of what they were talking about, I noticed Ginny's room was empty. To my surprise, she was sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at pictures I had in a small book. She was looking at a page full of photos pf her.

That's when I noticed what she was wearing and my eyes widened. She had on a tight corset, causing her breasts to perk up a bit, and a dark blue long-sleeved sweater. Instead of the jean skirt from earlier, she had a red plaid mini skirt - the one that just barely covered her ass; she loved it - with black lace on it, but kept the stockings. Her hair was tied in a high side-ponytail with a blood-red ribbon tied around it that almost completely blended into her hair. She looked up and blushed heavily. "I-I thought you were downstairs, with Harry," she muttered. I shook my head. "I was just spying on their conversation," I said, and made a slightly disgusted face. She tilted her head, but shrugged slightly, closing the book, and stood up. "Well?" she said, placing the book lightly on the bed. "What do ya think?" She spun around, the lace on her skirt fluttering. When I didn't answer, she studied my expression, then followed my gaze, blushing heavily. She flattened her skirt and muttered an apology, quickly asking, "Is it too much? because I doubt Harry'd wo-" I cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "You look amazing, sexy even." She blushed. "But you always do, Gin. There's no reason to worry." She giggled softly and beamed up at me. "Thanks, Ron," she said, walking out the door. "Have fun," I called after her. "Will do!" she said from halfway down the stairs.

I followed slowly behind her, not wanting to see Harry greeting her. It made my heart ache, seeing them together. I heard Mum gasp as Ginny came into view. I grinned to myself. Mum never agreed to the things Gin had begun wearing, said they "showed too much". Harry was stumbling over his words, obviously surprised. He hadn't seen Ginny's new style yet. "H-hey Gin. Shall we uh g-get going now?" I laughed quietly as his voice squeaked at the end.

"Yeah." I heard the smile in her voice, and imagined her grasping his arm at the crook of his elbow. But when I finally saw them, he looked quite uncomfortable, rather than gentlemanly like usual. I wasn't exactly surprised - when I first saw Ginny in that skirt, I acted the same way.

Ginny heard me come down, and her grin widened. I couldn't help but smile back - she looked like an angel when she smiled like that. Harry looked at his watch and muttered, "C-c'mon, Gin, we're gonna be late." She didn't take her eyes off me as she said, "Alright, hon." She kissed Mum's cheek as I walked the rest of the way down the stairs. She practically skipped over to me and hugged me tight. Her chest was warm against my ribs. I kissed the top of her head and repeated, "Have fun, Gin." She let go and beamed at me, whispering a thanks and went back over to Harry. My heart throbbed to see her so happy and then leaving with him. Harry muttered a goodbye to Mum and waved at me. I barely had time to raise my hand in response before they were out the door.

"He seemed out, didn't he?" I asked, once I knew they were out of earshot.

Mum nodded thoughtfully, then turned serious. "You heard what he asked me earlier?"

I widened my eyes at the tone in her voice. "I didn't hear the question clearly, but I heard the rest of the conversation," I muttered.

She nodded again, slightly calmer now. "He asked if we'd be okay with him proposing to Ginny..." She looked up at me to see my reaction.

I struggled to keep my expression blank as I nodded slowly. "I kind of guessed that, based off everything you said."

She suddenly changed the subject. "There's gno-" I cut her off. "I'm on it, Mum." At least I had something to occupy myself for a while. I walked out back and started throwing the gnomes, one by one, trying to take as long as I possibly could.

At almost 8, I was finally finished. Ginny had come home about an hour before, and Mum was cooking already. I trudged upstairs to wash up before dinner started, but Ginny was in the bathroom.

I knocked on the door lightly, and she opened it almost right away. There was mascara smeared under her eyes - she had been crying. 'Why?' I wondered. She grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me through the door. I stared at her, completely taken aback as she started her explaination:

"Harry took me to a beautiful restaurant instead of the theatre, which I was mad at him for that, but he said he had a surprise for me, so I dropped it. It was one of those five-star restaurants - the kind with reservations and fancy, foreign foods and long waits 'til they aren't completely booked. So we ordered our food, and when it got there, Harry said to me as I reached for the fork, 'Wait, hon, the surprise before we eat,' and, of course, I was startled. I thought, 'Why can't it wait,' but didn't say anything. He told me to close my eyes, so I did, and when he said to open them, he was down on one knee next to my chair and the nearby people were staring at us. H-Harry said, 'Ginny, my love,' and grabbed my left hand while he continued." She demonstrated by holding my hand lightly in hers while she knelt in front of me, with her other hand behind her back. "And he said, 'You know I love you,' and I nodded. His voice dropped a bit and he started stumbling over his words, 'Would you,' he pulled his hand from behind his back and opened it." She did the same to me. "A-and in his hand was a little black box. It took me a bit to realize what it was, but I figured it out before he even asked. He continued, 'Would you, Ginerva Weasley, marry me?' and I-I was flattered and all, and I started tearing up. I d-didn't know what to say. He waited patiently while I thought it over." She paused, took a deep breath, and stood up, dropping character.

She began to pace as she continued, "And I shook my head. I said, 'Harry, I do love you but I don't know if I could do this.' He just frowned and said, 'I don't understand.'" Her voice dropped to a whisper as the tears dripped slowly down her face. "I said, 'Harry, you know I'd love to marry you,' and he grinned but frowned again when I continued. 'Let me finish,' I said. 'But I can't,' I said, and looked away. 'I do love you, but I-I love someone else, too. I can't be with that someone else, but I don't want to break his heart by marrying you, because I know he loves me too.' And he raised his eyebrow, whispering, 'Why can't you be with him? If you love him more, you can break up with me, I can find someone else.' I shook my head, and he looked even more confused. 'It's not that, Harry, it's another reason...' 'Then what is it, Gin?' he asked." She paused again, taking another breath. She was struggling to stop the tears from flowing. "I said, 'Harry, I can't be with that person because... because h-' and he stopped me. 'He has a girlfriend?' I shook my head. 'No, not yet, he doesn't. There is a girl, other than me, who likes him, but he doesn't want her, not as badly as he wants me. Now, let me finish, please, Harry.' He nodded, and said nothing. 'Harry, the other boy is... a relative...' His eyes widened." Mine did the same. She stopped pacing and looked at me as she continued. "'Who is it?' he asked. 'Don't be mad at me, Harry, please.' He just nodded. 'It's my brother,' and his eyes grew even wider. 'Which one?' he whispered. By this point, he was sitting on his heels, the ring box resting in his lap and his hand on my knee. 'It doesn't matter which one it is, it's bad no matter what.' Now everyone was watching us, straining to hear every word."

She turned away from me and started pacing again. "'Ginny, please tell me who. I promise I won't be mad,' he said. I shook my head, and tears were burning my eyes. I looked at him, and saw his eyes were watery too. 'Please...,' he whispered, almost begging. 'I-It's Ron.' I said it so quietly I knew only he could hear me. He didn't say anything. He just stood up and I thought he was gonna leave. I wasn't going to stop him, of course. Why should I, when I probably hurt him more than I could believe?" Tears continuously streamed down her face.

"He didn't leave, though. All he did was kiss the tears off my cheeks and sat back down to eat, as if nothing happened. I stared at him. 'What?' he asked with his mouth full of steak. I-I said, 'Why aren't you leaving? Why aren't you saying "Ginny, it's over, we're through. Have fun with Ron"? Why are you sitting here eating as if-' and he kissed me, full on the lips." She looked at me as she said this, slowing her pace. Apparently satisfied with my reaction, she continued, "After he pulled away he said, 'Ginny, I don't care if you love him. I don't care if you love a man thirty years older than you, for Merlin's sake! I don't care what you do with your life. I love you, so I'm not leaving you over one little thing like this. If you want to leave, so be it. You can just get up, and walk out right now. It's up to you, but I'm staying.' And-And I whispered, 'Harry, I don't want to leave you, but I don't want to hurt Ron by staying with you.' H-he just stared at me. Finally, he said, 'Who do you love more?' He didn't look hurt, he wasn't crying anymore. He looked... calm. It confused me.

"'I don't know,' I said. All he said was 'Okay, think about it. If you're still here by the end of the night, then I'll assume you're staying.'" She collapsed into me and I caught her under the arms. She sobbed quietly into my chest as I stroked her hair.

"Ron," she whispered, looking up at me. "I left him..."

"What? Why?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on my shirt. "I-I don't know. I couldn't stand seeing him so calm. It was unnatural. I imagained he'd be crying or something. I mean, Ron, I had just declined to marry him after he had gone to the trouble of asking my parents!"

I nodded and hugged her tighter. "It's okay, Ginny, it's all going to be okay." I didn't know what else to say, but I felt her nod against my chest. I kissed her head, and rested my face in her hair.

After a few minutes of absolute silence, Mum called up the stairs. Ginny stood up straight and fixed her skirt. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. I kissed her salty cheeks lightly and she hugged me again. I whispered in her ear, "How did you know I loved you like that?" She looked up and grinned. "Not even Harry has that many pictures of me." We laughed and went downstairs, Ginny with her head rested against my side, my arm around her waist.


End file.
